His Remnant Church ~ Living in the Last Days ~ Understanding Prophecy

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Few verses of Scripture have more powerfully influenced my personal life than Ezekiel 22:30. After having given my life to Christ in an act of repentance, and receiving His free gift of salvation, a few short years later I accepted the call to preach the word.

However as a young adult I let selfish personal desires and worldly decisions turn me away from the promise I had made to God. Though God kept that promise which I had made to Him ever before me, in rebellion I lived only for myself and like a tornado left a path of destruction which affected the lives of everyone with whom I came in contact. But, even in my immorality and wickedness God still loved me, and desired to draw me back to Himself, and to obedience to His Will.

After many years in disobedience, I had reached a point at which God in His mercy had allowed me to be completely broken. I was broken materially, emotionally, and most of all spiritually. I was jobless, homeless, and had lost all respectability and integrity. Like the prodigal son I had wasted everything God had ever given me and destroyed every relationship with those who mattered to me. However, even at the depths of my depravity, and despite my unrepentant attitude, there were those who never ceased to pray for me. In doing so, they kept the illuminating and purifying light of Christ shining into my life and exposing my sin.

At that low point in my life, as a result of those prayers and through the efforts of my mother and oldest daughter, I began to be exposed to Godly men who, in the love of Christ, began to council and then disciple me. After a few months I cried out to God for forgiveness and gave Him complete control of my life. Believing completely in His power and ability to change my life, I again turned to His Word to show me His Will. I began that process of sanctification, daily endeavoring to be more like Christ, which yet continues even to this day. Late one night while reading, I came to this passage in Ezekiel and God began to show me, to teach me, just what He would require of me.

Ezekiel was a prophet of God to the nation of Israel during the Babylonian captivity. Because of Israel’s wickedness and disobedience God had allowed Nebuchadnezzar to conquer the nation. In the process of the conquest, the destruction of Israel took place over a period of years and included three separate periods of destruction during which the people of Israel were either scattered into other nations or were carried into captivity to Babylon. Ezekiel had been a part of the second captivity and his prophecies were both for those in captivity, and those who yet remained in Jerusalem, to turn from their wickedness and ask for restoration before God. Ezekiel chapter 22 details the depths of wickedness to which the nation of Israel had fallen, and what His judgment on them would involve. Having reached this point, God told Ezekiel;

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 22:30-31 KJV)

God had looked for one man, just one. It would have only taken one man to step into the breach in obedience, one man completely committed to God to make a stand for God before the nation of Israel. One man who was steadfast and loyal to God, to stay God’s judgment on the nation. But, the Scripture says, He found none.

As I read and studied that passage I was struck by two thoughts; first, how tragic it was that God could not find even one man willing to stand for Him in all the nation of Israel; and second, I was overwhelmed and captivated with the realization that God is still looking for a man. That, in fact, throughout history, in every generation, God has looked for a man, Today, God is still looking for men willing to be His steadfast and loyal watchmen, warrior servants, and leader servants, willing to stand for God, for Christ, before this wicked world, calling for repentance and declaring His righteousness.

As the meaning of this passage and its significance became clear to me, especially as it pertained to my own life and to my walk with Christ, I realized that incredibly, God still wanted to use me. I realized that He wanted to use me not because of who I was becoming in Christ, but because of who I was before I turned to Him.

This realization compelled me to begin a study of the men God chose to use, both in the Old Testament and New, to accomplish His goals. And while this study revealed the character and characteristics of the type of man God is looking for, most importantly I began to understand not only why He still wanted to use me, but also what He was going to require of me.

Many years have passed since Christ in His mercy restored me to Himself and allowed His Holy Spirit to indwell me, protect me, teach me, and empower me to be His obedient servant. The process of sanctification continues in my life, and each morning as I rise I hear the call of the Holy Spirit in my heart saying “I sought for a man among them” and I pray to my heavenly Father; “cause me, make me, enable me to be that man.”

God is still looking for men! But God is not looking for perfect men, He is not looking for the wealthiest, or the best looking, or even the most intelligent men.

What kind of man is God looking for?

God is looking for men who will stand in the gap and love Him more than they love the things of the world.

God is looking for men who will stand in the gap because their hearts desire is to serve Him in obedience.

God is looking for men who will stand in the gap because as men they are dependent on Him, humble men who trust him completely to lead them.

God is looking for men who will stand in the gap and not compromise the Word of God to the popular culture or the ideas of man, who will not tolerate unrepentant sin, yet who will love sinners just as Jesus did.

God is looking for men who will stand in the gap and love, lead, comfort, and protect their wives just as Christ does the church.

God is looking for men who will stand in the gap because they are more concerned about their children’s souls than their athletic abilities or popularity.

God is looking for men who will stand in the gap and lead by the way they live rather than by what they say.

God is looking for men who will stand in the gap and pray, who current in their prayer life, are intercessors praying for the lives of others.

God is looking for men who will stand in the gap as watchmen, warning His church of apostasy and infidelity, who will be defenders of the faith.

God is looking for men who will stand in the gap having put on the whole armor of God, and having done all to stand, will stand therefore!

The most important thing that we must understand is that God is looking for men not only willing to die for the cause of Christ, but more importantly, He is looking for men whose lives are yielded to the power of the Holy Spirit and who are willing to live for Jesus Christ!

On Aug. 2, 1990, Iraqi Pres. Saddam Hussein’s military invaded the tiny oil-rich kingdom of Kuwait, his troops seized control and he annexed Kuwait to Iraq. The international community was irate, they hastily condemned the invasion, the U.N. quickly approved economic sanctions, and Pres. George H. W. Bush told Saddam Hussein to remove his troops or they would be evicted. Saddam ignored Pres. Bush so Mr. Bush assembled a coalition of nations and launched an aerial attack on Iraq on Jan. 17, 1991. He followed that up with a ground attack on Feb. 24, 1991. Coalition troops immediately overran the Iraqi positions and just 100 hours later they were moving toward Baghdad at great speed. A dispute arose over the conditions of a cease fire and the coalition troops suddenly stopped.

This war caught the attention of prophecy teachers. Many believed the coalition invasion of Iraq is prophesied in the Bible (Isa. 13:1-5; Jer. 50:9). They believed the coalition of nations was ordained by God to overthrow the nation of Babylon (Iraq).

I believed this war met some of the conditions, but it seemed clear to me that it didn’t meet all of the conditions. Iraq’s leaders were not captured (Isa. 13:2), the whole land of Iraq was not destroyed (Isa. 13:5), the Medes (Kurds) were not involved (Isa. 13:17), the ancient city of Babylon wasn’t overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah (Isa. 13:19; Jer. 50:38-40), and more.

In 1992, I started writing my first book (“On The Brink” copyright 1995). On pages 123-124, I wrote about Babylon’s Future: “Babylon (Iraq) will go through several wars before it reaches the end of the road. The nation will have to fight the Medes (probably the Kurds), an assembly of great nations from the north country (probably the United Nations or Antichrist) and God’s battle ax (Israel).”

“At some point, before the city’s ultimate destruction, foreigners will take over and turn it into a center for religion and trade. It is unrealistic to believe they will worship or invest much money there under the present conditions so they are likely to use war to clear out the Iraqis and secure the area before they move in. . . . When that happens, Babylon will no longer be a tourist attraction. The Antichrist will make it his seat of power.”

It seems to me that God was saying He will cause the Medes (Kurds) to play a major role in the destruction of Iraq and the ancient city of Babylon. He clearly said, “I will stir up the Medes against them” (Isa. 13:17). He will use the Medes (Kurds) to put end-of-the-age events into action in Iraq and use them again to destroy the rebuilt city of Babylon.

In the 1970’s, there was a large population of Kurds in and around the city of Kirkuk, Iraq and God began to stir them up. This area was part of their ancient tribal homeland and they wanted control over it. But Saddam Hussein wouldn’t allow it. In the late 70’s and early 80’s, he drove many of them out of the area. In the late 80’s, he was accused of killing 3-5000 and injuring 7-10,000 Kurds with poison gas. They have never forgotten the Iraqis did. When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, the Kurds helped the U.S. and even fought alongside the American troops.

When the time came to form a government we allowed the Shiite government of Nouri al-Maliki to take power. The Kurds believed he discriminated against them; he lied about them, he falsely arrested and oppressed them, he was too close to Iran and more. The animosity grew to the point that gunfire broke out between Iraqi troops and Kurdish troops in December 2012 and the Kurds were threatening to start a civil war.

There was more stirring when the Kurds built an oil pipeline from Kirkuk to Turkey so they could sell their own oil without going through the Iraqi government. Nouri al-Maliki opposed their pipeline and threatened the oil companies that were seeking to drill the Kurdish wells. He warned them not to drill wells for the Kurds or they would not be allowed to drill wells in any other oil field in Iraq. He tied up money that was supposed to go to the Kurds and his government now has several billion dollars that belongs to them.

The KRG (Kurdish Regional Government) may have the most powerful military in Iraq (the peshmerga fighters). But when Nouri al-Maliki asked them to help fight those who are trying to take over Iraq today (ISIS) the Kurds refused. Their refusal fits perfectly into God’s plan to use them to change the situation in Iraq.

In June 2014, ISIS forces (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) attacked Mosul, and the Iraqi army abandoned their weapons, turned tail and ran. Even though no one attacked the Iraqi army in Kirkuk and the surrounding area the Iraqi troops turned tail and ran from there too. The Kurdish peshmerga (militias) quickly moved in and took over. This expanded their oil-rich Kurdish controlled area of Iraq by about 40 percent. It is almost certain that Iraq will demand it back and it is also a good bet that the Kurds will say no. Keeping all of that land and oil will definitely incite more animosity between Iraq and the Kurds.

So I am not looking for a Muslim Antichrist, Muslim world government or a Muslim world religion. I am looking for the strife in Iraq to intensify and spread. I believe it is needed to clear the way for the rebuilding of Babylon as a global economic and religious center. Rebuilt Babylon will eventually be destroyed by fire in one hour and God’s stirred up Kurds will definitely play a major role in the fulfillment of that.